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What is the expectation of a step parent?

Booqueen's picture

Are we expected to be half a parent? As in, take up some responsibility in the raising of skids, entertain them, buy them presents, cook them meals, babysit them, help our other half like an equal partner?

I know some steps are equal partners. Some steps go above and beyond what bio parents do. But let's say a step (like me) takes a step back (literally) from the parenting, is it a bad thing?

last night SS had an accident in bed. I didn't know, he just screamed for mum like he usually does when he needs to wee/has a nightmare. The night before he yelled for her at the top of his lungs at 5am because he had a nightmare. She ended up laying with him till past 6am. I'd gotten up and was starting to get ready for work by the time they emerged from his room. This morning at about 2am, he yelled out again. I just turned over and stayed in bed like I usually do. Then I hear her in the laundry so I thought 'maybe it's a wee accident. But it has never happened in the middle of the night before. Weird.' Anyway. I never got up to check. Couldn't get to sleep but never got up to check. 

when she came back in, I could hear her angry breathing and the sounds of her changing her PJs. I asked 'what's wrong?' And she snapped back 'why do you never help? Why do you just sit there?' I ignored her and tried my hardest to sleep. Sleep was ruined and it was a bad night and I woke tired. 

We had two loads hanging on the lines before we left for work. When I got back, I did our sheets, brought in the laundry, made his bed, made our bed, did my laundry... washed up his lunchbox.. and then after dinner I said to her 'I have a bone to pick with you'

i told her it wasn't fair that she snapped at me for 'never helping' and 'just sitting there'. I told her that I'm always helping and she said thanks for making his bed because after her super long day she wouldn't have had energy then said 'I didn't mean never as in never, but I meant in the middle of the night. You never got up to help me at night. Ever.'

i said to her I would NEVER get up in the middle of the night to help her. Long story short, after she repeated that I never help at night, I asked about another single mum friend of hers with TWO boys 6 and 7. Said if one of them had wet the bed, that mum would've had to do everything on her own too. AND make the bed herself. She finally said 'point taken.' I then reiterated that I would never wake up in the middle of the night. 

I'm not being selfish. I'm putting my foot down. I'm not going to be equal parent. I do my part and sometimes more with regards to housework. As someone said before, this is my hill and it is as high as I'd climb. I had a terrible night's (lack of) sleep with the way he's yelling out for her so often now. Something he never ever did the first year I knew him. We always bragged about how he was a terrible eater but a great sleeper. Always not a peep out of him once he was put down to bed. 

Comments

lieutenant_dad's picture

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your SO the one who said she wasn't looking for a co-parent and wanted to do this on her own? She just wanted a partner for her?

You already do more than you need to. Unlike most on here, she actively chose to be a single mom - warts and all. SHE is extremely lucky to have found a partner with no kids, no ex drama, no want to be an equal parent who will challenge her parenting choices. She doesn't get to decide to be a single parent and then try to dictate to you what duties of hers she doesn't want and expects you to take on.

If I were talking to your SO, I'd tell her this: SO, if you are now realizing that being a single parent is NOT what you want, then you need to communicate that with your partner. BUT, your partner is NOT required to accept the new terms of the relationship. You don't get to change things just because parenting got hard and you're jealous that your partner who didn't take on these responsibilities chooses not to share in them. Those are feelings YOU have to work out, not OP.

Feel free to share that with your partner, Boo. As for you, you seem like you're doing fine. You're kind to the kid, you help out when you want/it makes sense/in a way that helps your SO, and you stay in your lane like you've been asked. You're even coming here for advice, so bonus points to you. Don't let her gaslight you into thinking you're not doing enough when you're doing EXACTLY what you said you would do AND EXACTLY what SHE wanted you to do. If she wants to try and renegotiate the terms of your relationship, she can use her words and not be a dick about it.

justmakingthebest's picture

To answer your first question- the role of the step parent is whatever the step parent feels comfortable with. For SS21 (Autistic), I am mom. 100%, I do doctors apts, I make sure he has clothes, I chase after him for chores. I worry about him. I love him. 

For SS17, eh... I started out more involved but being long distance meant that I got to be the "fun aunt". He would pop in for a few weeks. We did lots of fun things and he would leave. There wasn't much parenting. Due to BM2's alienation and SS's behavior, I won't even be fun aunt anymore. He is lucky if I cook dinner and include him. 

With what you are describing, I would never expect my husband to wake up for my bio's in the middle of the night (he is the stepdad). Unless there was an actual- we are going to the hospital emergency- I have always done my best to keep things quiet so he can sleep if there are any middle of the night issues (hasn't happened in years and they are teens now). When they were younger if we had a middle of the night sickness hit, I never went back in the bedroom and kept everything quiet and cleaned up. Those are my kids and my responsibility, not his. 

As for the bedwetting and screaming out- he needs a pull up diaper and a sound machine to help keep him asleep. He also needs to be told that he can't just scream in the middle of the night. He is being rude to the rest of the house. He is 7 not 2. He should be able to handle sleeping in his bed without issues! 

shamds's picture

And expect their spouse or partner to be surrogate mummy or daddy for the absent/alienated or crappy other parent in their lives.

its not fair to ever expect this. When i met my husband, ss was 15.5 yrs old. His mum disowned him in the divorce and hubby had sole custody. Apparently my husband expected i be surrogate mummy because i was a great example of a nurturing mother. I told my husband it wasn't my fault his exwife was batshit crazy and neglected step kids but i should never be put in a position to place their priorities in life or care/maintenance above mine. Their wants dont take priority over mine

i was breastfeeding my newborn son whilst my husband was at work one day, hubby wanted me to give ss20 some money to pay for his glasses at optometrists. I told hubby i was breastfeeding and its a marathon time where my son would be non stop breastfeeding and in my arms several hrs so ss20 had to wait.

I remember my husband telling me to stop breastfeeding our newborn and go downstairs to give ss20 money. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Was all hubby got followed by are you telling me to stop breastfeeding our newborn son (a priority) to give money to your disrespectful son who shuns us and emotionally abuses us with pleasure?? Because he can wait 4-7 hours till i feel ready to give money but he is not my priority right now or ever.

that set things in place for my husband and i reminded him this is what his son deserves and gets from me by treating me the way he has always done...

i did about 2-3 hrs later put money on the table downstairs and told my husband to message his kid to take it since he enjoys pretending I don't exist.

tog redux's picture

Your role is whatever you two work out your role should be. In my case, I was the "fun aunt", and while I helped DH with things occasionally, I was not a parent in any sense of the word.  I didn't want to be, and DH didn't want or expect me to be a parent. 

You and your GF need couples counseling to sort this out. Everything you post is about you not wanting to be a parent to her kid, and her absolutely wanting that. You two aren't on the same page at all. 

LittleCloud9's picture

Tog nailed it. Every relationship in the world is unique as to what each partner gives and gets out of it. Each couple has to openly and honestly communicate their needs and expectations for the relationship. While love may move us to comprimise a little to make it work  over all you need to be on the same page. Otherwise it's a resentment time bomb that can only end in pain.

ESMOD's picture

clearly she has different expectations of a partner.  Unless you can explain your own preferences.. and that you are not interested in being a partner in parenting her child?  you will continue to have conflicts.  If she needs her partner to do this then maybe she needs to find a different partner?

TheAccidentalSM's picture

I'm saying this with all my feelings since you sound like a great person but your SO exhausts me.  She expects so much from you that she shouldn't.  Please think about relationship counselling as already suggested.

tog redux's picture

Same here. I could not put up with this whiny, pouty, victim-y stuff she does. Just be direct, lady!

PetSpoiler's picture

Some play no role at all, or they're the fun aunt, some take on more of a parental role.  My dh did expect me to take on the surrogate mother role.  I loved SS so at the time I was ok with that and I thought that was what I was supposed to do.  BM seemed fine with it too.  I think she just saw it as I cared about her child, was good to  him, tried to raise him right and she wanted him to turn out well, so she was ok with it.  I was given authority from both parents too and SS actually treated me with more respect than he did BM, MIL, and SIL.  He ran over them.  I think he resented that he couldn't run over me.  He did supposedly think of me as mom but you wouldn't know it by his actions leading up to me cutting him out.  

So, I'm one of the not successful stories here.  But that's me.  If taking on the parental role is not for you, then don't.  He is not your responsibility.  If she expects her partner to take on a parental role then she needs to find a partner willing to take on the role.  This isn't the relationship for you.  My own stepmother never took on the role of mom with me either. I already had parents but I did respect her as an authority figure because my parents raised me to respect my elders.  

sleepymeg's picture

SD used to call out for her dad in the middle of the night. If he didn't hear her, I'd wake him up. Never once did he expect me to get up for her, in fact he felt bad that my sleep was interrupted.

Your gf chose to be a mother, which includes getting up in the night to tend to her son. Not even asking, but expecting you to get up to look after him is absurd.

It really seems like this woman was just looking for someone to pass her parenting duties to.

Ispofacto's picture

Your partner could have chosen to have a child within the alliance of a domestic partnership.  But instead she chose to become a parent on her own.

Because....?

Because she didn't want the obligation of shared custody with another person?

Then you come along.  This child is not your responsibility.  Any favor you do for her is a gift and should be appreciated.

 

Booqueen's picture

Wow.... thank you all so much for your support and understanding. Secretly, I've had thoughts of leaving but somehow leaving is just SO DAMN HARD. I've looked at this relationship from different angles.... we seem to be on diff pages and wavelengths. She feels her son is more important than my religion (which is something that really gets me pissed off because to me, my religion is something that will be with me lifetime after lifetime while her son is only the now). 

I see so clearly that we are completely different with different outlooks in life. But somehow... weirdly... despite all that, why am I not walking out? Why am I so stupid and still holding on? Sometimes I have thought of leaving, I start looking for rooms to rent and then when the kid talks to me or about me like his other parent, I feel like a jerk. Then I stop looking and I stay put and I swallow everything up. Weird. Or I get thoughts of actually leaving, then I chicken out. 

hereiam's picture

Change usually is SO DAMN HARD, but it's also usually SO DAMN WORTH IT.

The longer you wait to make a change, the harder it will be. Don't settle for a relationship that's not working.

LittleCloud9's picture

Staying out of guilt or pity will make all of you unhappy. Your partner is also likely being negatively affected by this. It sucks for the kid but that's not your fault. Being honest is kinder long term than secretly resenting someone and concealing it.

sleepymeg's picture

It took me over a year to actually leave. The thought of leaving, starting over, absolutely terrified me.

But then, I started thinking about my own place. I noticed I was getting support from people who weren't my SO. And I knew long term it wasn't the life I wanted.

I checked out mentally long before I physically left. It was heartbreaking and scary, but also exciting. It's also much easier said than done as long as there's that tiny thread of hope that is keeping you holding on.

Rumplestiltskin's picture

Also, to add - lying down with a kid because they are scared at night isn't actually a need. If they pee that's one thing, but if your partner is getting up every night for bad dreams and getting in bed with him, that's not necessary. So to ask you to help with a *want* is especially bad. I know plenty of parents in intact families that don't allow this kind of thing. Single/divorced parents tend to allow more nonsense from what i've seen. 

If he is peeing every night, he needs to have his fluids limited a few hours before bed (but make sure he has enough early on), avoid certain things like caffeine and, in my son's case, watermelon, and be made to pee before bed. You mentioned in a previous blog that he always fights you on this. That's a tough one but maybe tell him if he refuses to pee before bed, he gets no electronics the next day or something. None of these things are for you to do, but just to illustrate that things can be done besides losing hours of sleep and if your partner refuses to do them, it's her own damn fault.

Booqueen's picture

*smile* nice one. Thanks for the advice! Regarding relationship, I have to toughen up and think very clearly what it is I want. Very very hard when the heart is involved. As for kid, I'll see how long this 'no more milk and biscuits before bed' declaration lasts. I've already made my stand. I ain't getting up!